Kyrgyzstan
The mountains, including the Tian Shan Mountains (pictured), give Kyrgyzstan a unique
culture, partially formed from this isolation from the mountains.
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Culture & Identity of South Korea

Introduction

Fishing in the mist

South Korea is a modern country that is becoming more and more reliant on technology,
both from the perspective of using technology to make life easier and more enjoyable
to creating and developing technology. The country maintains many aspects of their
traditional culture, but with the ease of modern day amenities.

Today most of the South Koreans live in cities, in fact over 80% of the people live
in urban areas and only about 6% of the people still farm or have jobs in agriculture.
Farming and agriculture were integral to the people and way of life in the past
and for this minority this lifestyle is exists. However, this way of life dependent
on the sun, weather, and seasons has been lost for most people.

Today most of the working population has jobs in the services sectors, but industry
also employees a huge number of people. Both of these sectors generally have regular
hours as most South Koreans today work from about 9:00 am to about 6:00 pm during
the work week (Monday-Friday).

Schools also have a great deal of influence in determining a person's daily
schedule. Most schools run from about 8:00 am to about 4:00 pm and have time off
from about July to September. However, school work in South Korea is fairly intense
as families place great importance on family, children, and their future success
in the form of school. At times Saturday classes are offered and many children do
school work well into the night. If school work isn't on the evening's agenda,
it's likely that some other social club or activity is.

Although there's a great deal of pressure in the society to succeed, there's
also a counter balance in the entertainment scene, most noticeably found in the
cities. With the work of the people, the incomes in the country are quite high and
there is a substantial amount of discretionary income that can be used to travel,
hit the bars or clubs, eat out, and of course to find a karaoke bar.

Despite the variations in the culture and way of life in South Korea, the pressure
to succeed is rooted in the pride of the people and the importance of family. While
everyone respects their elders above all else, it is the children who are expected
to lead the next generation and they are pushed to do so in a way to find personal
success, while bringing great pride to the family.

Identity

The South Koreans view themselves and identify as "Koreans"
just as the North Koreans do. The South Korean people
are quite proud people and this pride is displayed when they state they are Korean.
After centuries under foreign rulers, the people of the Korean Peninsula have responded
with great pride in their ethnicity, language, and culture since gaining independence
in the early 1950s. Like in the north, this identity is truly all encompassing of
the South Korean lifestyle, from food, dress, and language to economics, education,
and politics, but the South Korean definition of what it means to be "Korean"
is vastly different from the North's definition of this same identity.

There is debate among the people of South Korea as to whether or not the North Koreans
and other ethnic Koreans living abroad are truly "Korean." Most of the
youth see South Korea as a different entity and hence exclude these "foreigners"
from this identity, while much of the older generation views the people of the north
as their "Korean" neighbors, who are victims of the North's government.